Kim Jong Il’s Body is Put on Display. When I visited Pyongyang in 2010 my biggest disappointment was the last-minute closing for renovations of the Kumsusan mausoleum, though I was allowed to walk the courtyard. (WSJ)

Don’t Pay 27% More to Convert Dollars to Euros at the Airport! It seems almost unbelievable that people use Travelex for anything, my rule is that Travelex is only useful to find the worst possible deal, yet this is what I saw last night at JFK, missed another couple in line by being too slow on the draw with my camera. (Million Mile Secrets)

Arthur Frommer’s Major Travel Trends in 2012 continue themes he has been discussing the past several years. I took his NYT Travel Show recommendation of North Ireland to heart, visiting in December. (Frommer’s)

Have you ever seen Mr Travel Guy? He’s the fellow who strides through international airports dressed like he’s flying off to hunt wildebeests — shirt with dozens of pockets, drip-dry pants that zip off into shorts, floppy hat with a cord pulled tight under the chin in case a twister blows through the baggage claim area. All of this describes exactly what I was wearing.

Avis is buying Zipcar. With Avis’ many sleazy charges, like now defaulting on foreign rentals to a home currency conversion with 3% fee, I would be worried if I were a Zipcar customer. I have had several rentals recently with Avis with mysterious or incorrect charges, and bonuses not posting, each was resolved, though I wish I did not have to inspect every detail of the bills. (Point Me to the Plane)

About Stefan

Stefan Krasowski has traveled to 189 countries and is an expert on international travel, frequent flyer programs, and travel credit cards. More About Stefan»

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